


Stay Fresh(ly Brewed)

by RoamingRoveon



Category: Splatoon
Genre: F/F, Fluff, I don't have any other tags, Updates Sporadically, coffee shop AU, jinx is really gay but you all knew that, this is going to be silly
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 01:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29324241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoamingRoveon/pseuds/RoamingRoveon
Summary: The Seafoam Cafe is one of the freshest up and coming places in Inkopolis Plaza. It's the best place for inklings and octolings alike to go to unwind, meet friends, and work on projects.It's also the best place to meet the love of your life.Now, if only Jinx could actually talk to her.[Kind of slice-of-life-y, Coffee Shop AU~]
Relationships: Agent 3/Marie (Splatoon)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 12





	Stay Fresh(ly Brewed)

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this forever but I just really wanted to post something... light. I hope y'all like this! It'll probably update sporadically, in between everything else. "But Rove," you say, "don't you have two other projects you're working on?"  
> Yes, yes I do. My hubris will be the death of me.
> 
> Several original characters will be introduced in this, including my Agent 4 and Agent 8!

_Prologue_

Her name is Marie, and every time her delicate hands ease open the heavy glass door, the ring of the bells goes straight to Jinx’s head. 

She belongs here - seeing her approach the counter, passing paintings on the dark mahogany-painted walls each morning, it’s like she’s always been a permanent fixture. The soft glow of her amber eyes can only be compared to the pleasant flickering of a firefly on a late summer evening, a scene of blankets of stars and a chorus of crickets.

Every morning, she comes into the Seafoam Cafe. 

Every morning, she orders the same thing, and Percy scrawls her name across the cup.

Every morning, Percy passes that cup with that beautiful name off to his co-worker with a cheerful chirp of “Macchiato with extra foam, please!”

Jinx wishes she could say that _every_ morning, she delivers on the order with acute precision, presenting the most delicious and delicately-crafted macchiato into Marie’s hands in exchange for the tiniest quirk of the stunning woman’s lips into a tired smile. She’d like to boast about how she keeps her cool, smiles back, and confidently wishes Marie a good day - maybe some charming flirting.

The unfortunate truth is, she isn’t allowed to make Marie’s drinks anymore. Not after the last time - she got distracted when the inkling came in with her hair down for a change, silvery tentacles tipped in that lime green draped over one delicate shoulder, downturned eyes of liquid gold focused on her phone screen and oh when she _smiled--_

The short version is, the barista twisted the porta-filter out of the espresso machine before it was finished running the shot and the pressure caused it to _explode_ out of the brew head. She jumped back just in time to avoid the worst of it, but scalding liquid and espresso grinds still sprayed over her and - to her horror - _her manager_ who was just trying to pass behind her. 

So, Jinx has banned herself from serving the inkling that she’s pretty sure is the love of her life. Not that she’d ever want to make that mistake again - it attracted the exact kind of attention she _didn’t want_ from Marie, who looked up to watch the whole fiasco. 

Aura banished her to the kitchen for an entire week after the incident, expressing concern that another distraction like that could end much worse, in something that Shiya had been calling “Pastry Hell.” That was fine with her. Her shame knew no bounds, and facing Marie after that quickly became a recurring nightmare.

Until, of course, the fateful day that she probably knew she couldn’t avoid forever - the day she’s caught up front again, manning the register, and comes face to face with the inkling that makes one heart take a running leap into her throat and sends the other two nose-diving into her stomach. 

It comes early one morning, while she’s barely two sips into her “I opened the cafe so I get a free latte and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it, thanks” ritual. The clock just ticks past 7AM and the bells chime, and there she is - the heels of her designer boots clicking gently against the wood floors toward the counter. Jinx leans against the cooler chasing sleep away with the sweet drink in her hands, lifting her head at the telltale signs of a customer.

It’s a small miracle she doesn’t spill the coffee all over herself. She grips her paper cup just a little more tightly, catching herself before the cardboard gives way and setting it on the cooler behind her. One hundred percent more awake than just a moment ago, she takes a deep breath and steps up to the register.

“G’morning,” she says. “Welcome to Seafoam, what can I get started for you?” Good! Great! She doesn’t stutter, her voice doesn’t crack or squeak, she’s doing great. Maybe she can let her guard down a little, get a bit more comfortable. She can make it through this interaction with her dignity intact, for sure. 

Marie, whose gaze has been pretty focused on her phone, looks up with her sleepy golden eyes and Jinx can feel the urge to run to the back rising. Unfortunately for her, only the pastry chef is sharing the space with her at this hour, and Bernard is not allowed to work the counter. She’s trapped, trapped here with this gorgeous woman and doomed to die of gay at any moment. 

“Hi,” Marie says. “Just a black coffee today, thanks.” 

Jinx fumbles for a cup, nodding stiffly and taking her time writing the name on it. She wants to make sure all the lettering is perfect, and with her messy handwriting it takes an extra minute. 

“Can you throw a shot of espresso in that?” 

“Yeah, anything you want--” Cool it, Jinx, can you just be chill for five minutes maybe? Clearing her throat, she scoots over and starts going through the motions of setting up the porta-filter. Even though she isn’t confident in her ability to do so, she starts to make conversation. Light. Simple. “You’re, uh. You’re here pretty early today, huh?” 

Marie hums a soft response. “Unfortunately,” she muses. “I have some things to take care of. My cousin decided the crack of dawn was the best time.” 

Jinx steps away from the espresso machine, watching the shot run and making sure to time it in her head. The gentle trickle and the hum of the machine fill the silence that threatens to settle in and she carefully takes her latte back up, sipping at it. She should’ve guessed that attempt to talk would die quickly - she’s never been good at conversation. Especially not with her crush. 

“...Didn’t you close last night?” 

Oh. Oh, no. Oh, no, Marie knows her schedule. She looks up quickly, setting her coffee down again and reaching for the espresso shot to dump it into the cup with Marie’s name on it. 

“Yeah,” she says. Turning back to a carafe of freshly brewed breakfast blend, she starts pouring. “It’s okay, though. I get a free fancy coffee when I do a ‘cl-open,’ so it works out!” Miraculously, as she snaps the lid in place, she smiles and doesn’t look queasy doing it. 

Marie smiles back and it makes her knees weak. Coffee is passed over the counter and taste-tested, and the older woman’s shoulders visibly relax. 

“What do I owe you?” 

Before she can think about it, Jinx waves a hand dismissively. “This one’s on me, for the sake of commiseration.” 

Though she seems a bit surprised at that, Marie still looks pleased. “Thanks.”

She’s doing great. She’s almost home free, she’s had an entire conversation - however short - with Marie and she’s so close to being able to go into the back and weep. 

“Y’know, I don’t remember telling you my name.”

Oh. Shit. She wrote that on the cup, didn’t she. 

“Uh.” There’s the squeak. Jinx clears her throat again. “Percy makes your coffee a lot. I see the cup. I hear-- uh. Things.” 

Blessedly, there’s no frown and no scolding. Marie just takes another sip. “It’s only fair I know yours, then, isn’t it?” 

For a second, she forgets what her name is. 

“Jinx,” she says. “I’m Jinx.” 

“Jinx.” Marie repeats it, giving her another little smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” 

Jinx manages to hold herself together until the second the door closes, and then she’s sliding down against the cooler, blushing and gurgling incoherently. 

She totally nailed that.


End file.
